NEW YORK (CNN) -- After huffing and puffing up 354 steps to the newly reopened Lady Liberty crown, Aaron Weisinger figured it was time to pop the question to his girlfriend, Erica Breder.

Aaron Weisinger proposes to Erica Breder on July Fourth inside the crown of the Statue of Liberty.

"The Fourth of July has always been a favorite holiday, so that was part of it, " Weisinger said.

The couple flew to New York from San Francisco, California, after managing to be among the first 240 people to snag the tickets to the Statue of Liberty crown for its reopening after September 11, 2001.

Weisinger got down on one knee inside the narrow, 8-foot-long deck inside the Statue of Liberty's crown, asked Breder to be his wife and offered her a sizeable diamond ring.

"I believe I was silent for several minutes. I was so excited," Breder said.